Does Vape Juice Go Bad?

While having a large stock of e-juice is rarely a complaint for most vapers have, some may be wondering if this juice can last forever. To answer simply, yes vape juice can go bad and the expiration date on the bottle should be observed. In this article, we’ll explore how you can make you e-juice last longer and the signs to look for to ensure your e-liquid is up to date.

Ensuring Your E-Liquid Lasts Longer

Store your vape juices in a dark, dry, and cold place

Light and heat are the greatest enemies of vape juice, which is precisely why you should always keep your bottles in places out of direct sunlight. Ideally, vapers should keep their e-liquid bottles in the refrigerator because of its dark, dry, and cold properties. Barring this, vapers should look into dark tinted bottles which help block out some of the light from affecting the liquid inside.

Make sure your vape juice is properly sealed

Much like light and heat, air is also a factor in determining the longevity of your e-juice. When oxygen mixes with the nicotine in the e-liquid, oxidation begins to occur. This process causes cotinine, which is created when two hydrogen atoms are replaced with an oxygen atom. Ultimately, this will cause the nicotine in the e-liquid to denigrate and lose potency.

Signs You E-Liquid May be Expired

Changes in colour

This is perhaps the easiest way to check you e-juice, but is often ignored by most vapers. As nicotine oxidation occurs, the e-liquid will often turn various shades darker and will eventually change drastically from its original colour. While some colour change is normal, vape juice that has been around for considerable amounts of time will turn to an almost unrecognizable colour from its original shade.

Changes in thickness

The viscosity of an e-liquid will depend on the PG/VG ratio, as well as the quality of the brand and the ingredients inside it. Generally speaking, e-juice with a higher VG content will be thicker, when compared to high PG mixes. To test if the viscosity of an e-liquid has changed, give the bottle a shake to ensure all the contents are mixed together and hold the bottle upside down. A vape juice that drips easily from the bottle is still good to use, but if it refuses to come out without pressure, then you should not vape them.

Changes in smell

Much like food, the smell of an e-juice will often give away whether or not it has gone bad or not. If the liquid does not smell like what’s expected from the flavour, or if there’s any off notes, you should probably dispose of the vape juice.

While it is true that all e-liquids will eventually expire, the rate in which this occurs is solely dependent on the ingredients used to comprise the vape juice.That being said, most forms of vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, and nicotine all have an estimated duration of one to two years.